Mushroom Lord in the Underground City-Chapter 341 - 333: Doubts

Alama stepped out of the communication room, the complex apparatus behind him gradually dimmed as he left, eventually plunging into silence, leaving only the faint hum of magical residual echoes.

He was not optimistic about the proposal fiercely debated at the council earlier, regarding incorporating the "Puki Master" system into the military structure.

Unlike some of his colleagues who worried about the potential risks of so-called "parasitism," his considerations were purely pragmatic.

In his view, although the number of Puki the Puki Master could control was indeed large, their individual strength was generally weak, merely sufficient to fill the lowest ranks of the army.

Admittedly, effectively supplementing the lower-tier troops was not a bad thing. But the problem was that besides their lack of strength, these Puki also had numerous troublesome restrictions.

The most fatal of these was the Fungal Mat.

Once they leave the range of the Fungal Mat, these seemingly convenient demons would quickly die from magic power depletion.

This means they can essentially only serve as defensive forces in fixed areas and are almost unusable for any form of active attack or long-distance deployment.

As everyone knows, the core "Mushroom City" of the Puki Fungal Mat is far in the southernmost part of the Kingdom, while the "High Castle Fortress" he guards secures the throat of the Northern Territory.

Separated by a vast distance, with the entire heartland of the Kingdom and the Empire army that could cut in at any moment in between, there is really nothing to rely on.

Consequently, throughout the lengthy council session, he appeared somewhat uninterested, unable to muster genuine enthusiasm.

Duke Alama paced up the thick walls of the High Castle Fortress.

His gaze traveled over the war-scarred wasteland, eventually locking onto the sinister dark red structure on the horizon, the Crimson Tower.

It stood like a sword hanging over the Kingdom’s head, forcing Alama to remain stationed here year-round.

"Any developments?" Alama asked.

"Sir!" The aide stepped forward quickly to salute, a voice somewhat blurred by the strong wind, "Still just some ordinary small-scale skirmishes, both our scouts and observation crystals have found no signs of large-scale maneuvers by the Empire army."

Alama’s eyebrows knitted tighter.

No movement was not good news, as it completely defied logic.

He knew that their side, Vampire Duke Eleanor, had also been sent to the front lines to assist Sigmund, with the main force stationed not far to the west of the tower, evident from the extent of the sky screen released to shield from sunlight.

With the addition of forces, given Sigmund’s character, he should be launching a fierce offensive at this momentum.

For this reason, Alama had made ample preparations!

Seven towering magic towers on the fortress’s exterior, their energy cores fully charged; the warehouse stocked with enough food, arrows, and alchemy potions to sustain a months-long siege; he even diverted a contingent of fresh troops despite the tight situation on the northern front, constantly ready to face a bloody defensive battle.

And yet? 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The other side was as quiet as a graveyard.

This abnormal tranquility was more unsettling to Alama than the sounding of war drums.

He knew Sigmund too well, just as Sigmund knew him.

That enemy was deceitful, treacherous, cunning, and ruthless, resorting to any means to achieve his aims, but in his dictionary full of conspiracies, the words "passive" and "timid" were absolutely absent.

The more the Empire army remained inactive, the more Alama felt the undercurrents surging beneath the calm surface.

Sigmund must be planning something, an unseen deadly storm was gathering strength in the shadows of the Crimson Tower.

"Spread the word," Alama instructed the aide behind him, "raise the alert level at all posts to the highest. Tell those mages not to spare their magic power, continuously scan every inch of land surrounding the fortress, especially underground! Also, have the knights prepare themselves!"

The aide raised his head in shock, incredulously confirming, "Sir, are you planning to... take the offensive?"

"I’m going to probe the depth of that new Vampire Duke!" Alama resolutely declared.

"Sir, this might very well be a trap!" The aide hurriedly advised against it.

"But that’s better than being stuck in the fortress, unable to grasp the opponent’s intentions." Alama gave the aide no further opportunity for persuasion, decisively turning around and striding down the wall.

At midnight, when the power of the Blood Race was greatest, yet also at their most lax.

Alama personally led his most elite Iron Fir Knights, under the cover of large-scale magic, to launch a surprise attack on Eleanor’s position.

And then...

Great victory!

Eleanor’s troops seemed completely caught off guard by an attack from the offensive side!

Alama and the Iron Fir Knights easily tore through the outer defenses composed of slaves and a few half-vampires, charging straight in.

They rampaged through the camp, making two rounds through, deliberately avoiding the strongest central barracks, yet still managed to turn half the camp upside down, slaying countless demons.

Finally, after a brief but fierce engagement with the belated Blood Knight Order from the Crimson Tower, Alama led the troops back to the fortress in an orderly withdrawal.

Watching the triumphant and high-spirited knights return, the aide smacked his lips, feeling somewhat awkward.

Yet, there was no trace of joy on Alama’s face.

The number of Iron Fir Knights was limited; though this surprise attack succeeded, it was far from causing serious harm to the opponent.

More critically, after this probing attack, his doubts not only remained but grew even more profound.

The newly-arrived Eleanor, her personal strength is unknown, but her military command was evidently a rookie, something he had roughly discerned.

Future military operations could focus on her; she could be Sigmund’s asset, but equally, she could be his vulnerability!

What truly puzzled Alama was... what exactly was going on with the old adversary Sigmund?

Why was his reaction so sluggish?

In Alama’s initial expectations, when he charged into the position with his troops, the Blood Knight Order from the tower should have swiftly moved out to intercept, leaving him with a very narrow withdrawal window.

Yet it was not the case!

Moreover, in that brief engagement with the Blood Knight Order, it seemed to him that the opponent lacked a backbone, moving somewhat sluggishly, as if Sigmund himself was not commanding in the army.

But given Sigmund’s history of disguising as an ordinary knight to carry out sneak attacks, Alama prudently avoided a prolonged engagement.

Still, the mystery in his heart grew larger bit by bit.

Though this move might very well fall into some sort of trap, after careful consideration, he decided to gradually increase the intensity of the confrontation, forcing the opponent to reveal their flaw.

...

"Sigmund!" Inside the Crimson Tower, the pervasive scent of blood was nearly shattered by sharp roaring!

Duke Eleanor, furious, sought out Sigmund, who had stayed in the Crimson Tower from beginning to end.